Taxi Driver Online

Nothing much to see hear except the last sentence with it's implications if the government listened

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c87npzxmd3do

Lack of accessible taxis is 'absolutely ridiculous'

A man who travelled to Gloucester by train from Bristol had to then get a Bristolian taxi to pick him up due to the lack of accessible vehicles at his destination.

The shortage of wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) prompted a council meeting where others shared their experiences.

Another wheelchair user, Luke Griffin, asked the council if they thought it was fair a young disabled man in Gloucester could not live an equal life.

Councillor Alastair Chambers, who presented a petition signed by 2,700 people on behalf of Luke Griffin, said nine WAVs for a population of 162,000 is not enough.

A wheelchair user, his mother and a councillor
IMAGE SOURCE,LISA GRIFFIN
Image caption,
Luke Griffin is a wheelchair user who raised concern to the council

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Chambers-Dubus added: “It’s absolutely ridiculous. He got the train from Bristol to Gloucester and then has had to wait for a taxi from Bristol to pick him up because there aren’t any.”

Councillor Tree Chambers-Dubus, who put forward the original motion, said everybody deserves to live the life they want to live.

She spoke to one of her constituents who is a wheelchair user and was celebrating her wedding anniversary.

“Her and her husband wanted to go out for a meal. Any of us would be planning a lovely evening out,” she said.

“They were planning this week's in advance and rang around to try and book a wheelchair accessible taxi.

"Unfortunately, on all the dates she had available the latest they could get a taxi home that would accommodate her wheelchair was 3pm.”

Councillor Hannah Norman, who is deputy leader, put forward a friendly amendment to Labour’s motion and said the amendment sets an ambition of 10% of the fleet in Gloucester being wheelchair accessible vehicles.

She said there are five Hackney carriage and four private hire vehicles that are wheelchair accessible. However, she explained that there is no legislation that requires such vehicles to be operated 24/7.

“The council cannot stipulate the hours licensed vehicles work,” she said.

Gloucester City Council has approved new incentives to try and get cabbies to provide more disability-friendly Hackney carriages and private hire cars.

It is planning to offer a 50% rebate on operator licences to those who can evidence at least one WAV available for bookings during all evenings and during weekends.

The city council will also write to the government to ask it to consider a change to legislation to give local authorities powers to mandate operating hours of WAVs.

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Not going to happen

And, I mean, apart from councils ordering some drivers to have WAVs while others can run saloons, they'd also be compelling the WAV drivers to work specified hours?

Next there would be a court case claiming that the council is employing the drivers

Kind of reminds me of one council a few years ago that said it was going to actually run some kind of WAV service and organise the drivers via an app, or similar

Think everyone on here concluded immediately that that wouldn't happen either. I'd put money on the fact that it didn't happen

Had to check that one out to make sure it wasn't a mistake...
https://democracy.gloucester.gov.uk/mgU ... x?UID=2010

One of those councillors who can't see the Wood for the Trees

Thick as two short planks

And out of her Tree

And I'd bet the (tree) house that she's a Tree-hugger

Good luck with that bugger.

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IDFIMH

The council could change PH operator rules to say they must have X % of WAVs on their fleet.

They could, if they restrict numbers, issue a number of WAV-only plates.

There are things they could do, but all they do is find ways to say they can't.

All that said, anyone with a spare £60/70/80/90,000 would be a numpty of the highest order if they bought a new WAV.

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IDFIMH

If you want chapter and verse as regards the difficulties the lad has getting home from his numerous nights out, then visit here:



Man travels miles in wheelchair to get home after a night out in Gloucester due to lack of disability-friendly taxis

https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/n ... me-9079613

'It's unfair. He can get on the train, he can get on the bus but he can’t have a night out and get a taxi home'



There's a lot of overlap with the article above, but there's also an additional paragraph in the stuff about the council's incentivisation efforts:


So it's important that the drivers work evening and weekends so the lad can have regular nights out on town, coming home at 3-4am with his carer (who's oddly unnamed and only vaguely identified except as a 'carer').

Obviously you have to sympathise with anyone in a wheelchair like that, particularly at his age.

But it reminds me of the likes of these people in Aberdeen who expect drivers to be at their beck and call at the early hours at the weekend when they want a night out